The movement of cars and other vehicles along streets and roads represents an immense yet heretofore generally untapped source of mechanical energy from which electricity or other work functions can be provided. Every revolution of the wheel of a vehicle results in a powerful thrust of force, generally directed toward the ground, which has heretofore been wasted, to the detriment of our planet's energy resources.
Other inventions have attempted to harness the energy of moving vehicles using treadle plates, pneumatic devices and complicated gearing mechanisms. Although these inventions capture some of the energy from passing vehicles and convert it into electricity, they generally stand in their ready state of operation as an obstacle protruding in the roadway. Since motorists are generally accustomed to traveling on smooth roads, it would be desirable to have at hand a device capable of generating useful work from the motion of motorized vehicles over roads and highways, which does not present an obstacle to drivers of a wide range of motor vehicle sizes and weights, and which also allows for smooth passage of vehicles over its surface during a process in which work may be extracted as a result of the vehicles' passage. Exemplary of the prior art in this fields are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,020,361; 4,212,598; 4,250,395; 4,418,542; 4,614,875; 6,204,568; 6,362,534; 6,376,925; 6,767,161; 6,936,932; 6,949,840; and 6,969,213 each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.